Why I Love You
by Kassaremidybelljesslynn
Summary: This is Jason and Kelsi's relationship throughout the HSM movies. My first chapter story, so lots of feedback is welcome. The rating is just in case. Sorry the Chapters were messed up, but I fixed them so they are in order and actually make sense.
1. I Love Her Eyes

Why I Love You  
Chapter 1: I Love Her Eyes

Note: This chapter is from Jason's POV. I did the best I could trying to be like Jason.  
And, like stated on my profile, I own nothing. I'm just borrowing them _with permission. _So please don't sue me.

I'd seen her around school all the time. I don't think any one else saw her, but I did. She was always wearing a hat and they were always really weird. They were kinda cool, but weird.

The day before Winter Break, I was passing by the auditorium on the way to basketball practice when I heard this beautiful music. I peeked into the auditorium and saw her. She didn't have a hat on and she had the prettiest eyes I'd ever seen. They were green but had this tinge of gray. They were unique, like her.

The song she was playing was really pretty. Then, she started singing, "You know the world can see us, in a way that's different than who we are. Creating space between us, till we're separate hearts," she sang. I loved it. I was going to walk in but then…

"Dude!" Chad yelled.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"We've got practice!" he yelled.

"Right," I said, sad. "I'll be there in one minute!"

"No, you gotta come now. Hoops already got a detention because he got caught using his cell phone in Darbus's class. Coach is ticked. You better get a move on," he said.

"I guess."

"What are you looking at?" Chad came over to me. "Who's that?"

"Kelsi Neilsen," I answered.

"Oh, you mean that dorky little piano drama geek? Why are you looking at her?" he asked.

"Umm…I thought she was…"

"What? You like the short person? Why?" he asked.

"I don't like her! I was just looking. I never realized how big the auditorium is until now!" I said, trying to cover.

"Right," he said.

"Hey guys!" Troy called.

"Hoops! It's about time you got here. Your dad's having a hissy! He's scarier than Darbus when she gets on about the evils of cell phones," Chad warned.

"I'm dead!" Troy worried and we ran to the gym.

After that whole thing with Troy getting a callback, I was walking around during my free period, trying to walk it off. Why would he do something like that? I didn't even know he could sing, but that he wanted to? Although, I think it has something to do with that Gabriella girl. He seems to like her. But I'm not sure. I told this to Chad and Zeke, and they just stared at me. Maybe they hadn't thought of that yet. And they said I was slow! Give me a break.

And then with Zeke knowing how to bake? I mean, I'm happy that he can cook so when my mom's birthday comes up, he can bake her a cake, but other than that, why would he want to cook? To experiment with that stuff? That's just not right!

That's when I heard it, that music again. But someone else was singing. I went to investigate and found Troy singing while Kelsi played the piano. He was running around with a gong stick in his hands and she was playing and really getting into it. And she had a damn hat on! Why? But she was smiling. I'd never seen her smile before. She was smiling so big I thought my heart would burst. She looked so beautiful. I tried to get closer without being seen, but I accidentally landed on a pair of cymbals and they caught me. I ran out the door.

"Who do you think it was?" Troy asked.

"Ryan or Sharpay. Probably Ryan because Sharpay is too graceful, she wouldn't have gotten caught. I hope this doesn't ruin anything," she said worriedly.

"I don't think it will," he said, but he didn't sound too sure.

From that moment I was determined to help Troy get that part, just to make her happy.

They all doubted me. They always doubt me. I told them he really liked to go to that room that the Nature Club made, but they never listen. I don't know why, since I was right about Troy and Gabriella, but whatever. We found him there and we apologized about breaking them up. I wasn't sure what we did since they didn't tell me much. Everyone thought I was going to blurt it out to Troy, even Zeke. That was insulting. Everyone knows that it wasn't me who blurted out that we were throwing a surprise party for Troy in the third grade it was Zeke.

We told him that we were sorry and he should sing and then we told him what our whole plan was. He looked really mad and afterwards, we had a talk.

"Jason?" he asked.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Why didn't you tell me? I know Chad's obsessed with basketball, but why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"To be honest, they really didn't tell me very much. They just told me that they were going to make sure you had your head in the game, that's it. I was confused the whole time," I admitted.

"Okay. Well, I feel a little better," Troy said.

"You have to go to Gabriella. Tell her what happened. Make her listen," I urged him.

"I guess I should," he said, but he sounded doubtfull.

"Tell her everything, blame it on us. Just go. I know you like her, and she likes you," I told him.

"Yeah! I'm going. Thanks Jason!" he called, running.

"Hey Troy?"

"Yeah?"

"Who was it that told you that we were throwing you a surprise party in the tird grade?" I asked him.

"It was Zeke. Everybody knows that!" he said smiling.

HA!

I was happy I wasn't the only one who wanted them to succeed, although the others only wanted them to win after Troy and Gabriella broke up (although I don't think they were together in the first place but when I mentioned that Taylor hit me so I stopped talking. She scares me. She's so mean. Her and Chad are always together. Like Troy and Gabriella? You don't think…nah!). We came up with this whole plan so they could get to the callbacks since it was on the same day as the big game and the decathlon, as mentioned above. Even though I knew what would happen, I was still really freaked out when the lights kept going on and off.

"Zeke? What's up with the lights?" I asked.

"Taylor got the codes," he said.

"What codes? What's going on?"

He just shook his head at me. Why do people always do that?! Then…oh yeah, Kelsi and the callbacks. I knew that.

When we got there, they were amazing. I was wowed. Kelsi looked so happy up there, like that was her home. The music was beautiful. The only thing was that she had a stupid hat on, although the hat was pretty cool. Troy and Gabriella were okay too, I guess.

We won the game, but that was expected. Kelsi was there and Troy gave her the game ball. And she had a hat on. I couldn't take it anymore. I did what I'd been wanting to do for a long time: I took off the hat. She smiled at me the biggest smile ever and I helped her shoot the ball through the hoop. Nothing but net.

I looked at her and we both just knew that basket was an omen. A wonderful, beautiful omen.


	2. Gosh Nam It! Stupid Chad

Why I Love You

Chapter 2: Gosh Nam It! Stupid Chad

Summary: This is the second movie from Kelsi's POV. I know that you don't see Martha and Kelsi passing notes, but go with me on this, okay?

"…with its magic mirror, reflecting each bolded choice!" Mrs. Darbus said. What was she talking about? I love her, she's my favorite teacher, but sometimes, even _I _don't understand her.

I saw Jason raise his hand.

"Yes Jason?" she called on him.

"So…what was your favorite summer memory Ms. Darbus," he asked.

The whole class groaned.

A note landed on my desk.

"It's from Martha," Troy whispered.

"Why are you going out with him?" Martha's note said.

"He's not that bad!" I defended him.

After she read it, she gave me one of her looks.

"So he's a little slow. He's really sweet," I wrote to her.

"Well, if he's sweet," the note said. "PS- I was using sarcasm that last statement!"

"Troy? Whack Martha for me!"

"NO!"

"Why not?" I asked.

"Have you talked to Martha lately? She could kick my butt!" he complained.

"Please?" I asked.

He have me a look then looked at Martha. Then we both looked at the clock. It was getting closer and closer to summertime. Chad tapped Troy on the shoulder.

"Summer. Summer," he chanted. I guessed he was thinking about Taylor.

"Summer. Summer," Martha joined in. Dance classes…and her secret crush, Ryan.

"Summer," I said. Writing music, Jason, pranking my brother, Jason, writing more music, Jason…you get the idea.

"Summer," Chad said again. A car.

"Summer," Gabriella said. Definitely Troy.

"Summer, Summer, Summer, SUMMER, SUMMER, SUMMER!" we all chanted. It was coming. It was almost here. RING!

"YES!" I ran over to Martha and gave her a hug. Jason had his head on his desk. He had to stay after a bit longer to talk to Mrs. Darbus. Poor guy. I waited by the door while everyone piled out. Troy and Gabriella were the last out, not surprising. After they left, Mrs. Darbus dropped some books on his desk and started to dance.

"Go home Jason! I'll deal with you in August!" she sang and danced my way. "What time is it? Summer time!" she sang.

He ran over to me and hugged me. I hugged him back tightly. "Let's go!" I yelled over the noise. We ran into the hall. Everyone was partying. He twirled me around. I laughed as he leaned in to kiss me.

"One more practice before summer?" Chad asked Jason interrupting us. Somehow Chad had gotten a hold of some basketballs. Gosh nam you Chad! Jason looked at me.

"Go, go!" I laughed. The whole team and this girl named Hannah (she started a petition to get a Girl's Basketball team going. I think it worked, too!) all started playing with the balls. "Go Jason!" I yelled. He ran toward me and started twirling me again. We all piled into the lunchroom to wait for the bell.

RING!

"YES!" I screamed. Jason picked me up and ran around in circles. "SUMMER!" he yelled.

"I've gotta go to my locker. I left a song I was writing there," I yelled over everyone.

"Alright let's-"

"Jason! Come here. I think I finally found a recipe for crème brulee!" Zeke yelled.

"I'll meet you at your locker," he said.

"See you in a minute." I ran to my locker as fast as I could.

"…guess I'm back in the baby-sitting business." Martha was saying.

"Hey Martha, hey Taylor."

"Hey Kels what are you planning to do this summer?" Martha asked me.

"Grow, write music, grow," I said. Be with Jason, write music, be with Jason, grow, be with Jason…

"Kelsi!" Jason called.

"Hi Jason!" I said.

"Zeke has found the missing ingredient in his crème brulee," he said dramatically.

"Well, congrats Zeke!" I said.

"Hey, Jase, what are you doing this summer?" Martha said. She had nicknames for everyone. Tay, Gabs, Z, Kels, Jase…everyone except Troy, but I know she'll find one eventually.

He didn't say anything, just put his arm around me, looked at me, and smiled.

"No comment necessary," she laughed.

We turned the corner and saw Troy and Gabriella about to kiss.

"Hoops! Let's go!" Chad said.

"Chad!" Taylor smacked him.

I looked at the two of them and smiled, closing Gabriella's locker.

I went over to my locker and opened it, grabbing my music sheets. Ryan came over and stood next to my locker.

"Hey, Kelsi," he started.

"No, Ryan, you don't get to look at my music," I said. "Tell Sharpay you couldn't find it or I threatened you with bloody murder," I told him.

"Thank you," he said.

"Oh Kelsi!" Sharpay said. She asked me if I wanted a job since their current pianist was moving. Or hiding, I added.

"Excuse me?" she said.

Gosh nam it! I said that out loud didn't I? "Nothing!"

"Jason!" I called.

"Hey Kelsi," he said, instantly lighting up when he saw me.

"I've got my music, let's go," I said.

"Can I see it?" he asked.

"It's not done," I warned him.

"I don't mind."

"Here."

"Na, na, na, na. Na, na, na, na, yeah. You are the music in me. You know the words once upon a time. Make you listen? There's a reason," he sang.

"When you dream, there's a chance you'll find. A little laughter, or a happy ever after," we sang together. He looked at me and smiled.

"That's really good Kelsi," he said.

"Well, I have some good inspiration."

He blushed slightly. I leaned my face to his but then…

"Jason! Game at Troy's house in ten minutes!" Chad yelled.

"Come on love bird!" Zeke said, grabbing Jason by his shirt.

"I'll see you at the park at 8 o'clock! I'll bring food!" he yelled as he was dragged off.

"Bye Jason!" I yelled.

I almost kissed him! Gosh nam it!

Chad could be cool but sometimes he ruined the best things.

Stupid Chad. I hope Taylor hits him hard.


	3. The Motherlode of all Things Weird

Why I Love You

Chapter 3: The Mother Lode Weirdest Of All Things Weird

Summary: Jason's POV. Work This Out through I Don't Dance. Sorry it took so long, I just got a new computer and the Internet hasn't been up. I hope this is worth the wait though. I'll post really soon to make up for the delay!

I GOT A JOB! I GET TO MAKE MONEY! I CAN AFFORD TO TAKE KELSI OUT INSTEAD OF COOKING A REALLY BAD MEAL THAT SHE PRETENDS TO LIKE!!!! There's one problem: I don't think anyone likes my boss. He was saying something to Kelsi a couple seconds ago and she gave him a look. Wait, he's talking to me!

"Miss Evans, would you care for lemonade?" he asks me. What the hell is a lemonod? And why is he calling me Miss Evans? That's Sharpay, not me!

"Actually, I'm not Miss Evans, I'm Jason," I say, holding out my hand. Everyone makes a face. The same one they made when I told them my suspicions about Troy and Gabriella. Guess they didn't think our boss was an idiot, huh? I sure showed him.

Gabriella is here now but I'm not looking at her. I'm looking at Kelsi. She's got a look on her face, the one she has when she's thinking about music. I walk over to her and take her hat off. She looks at me, smiles, then takes the hat and puts it on my head. She takes her hat back then gestures to Fulton (our boss).

"Three infractions of any kind and your employment is terminated," he's saying. "Chop chop chop!" and he walks out. Three infractions! What's an infraction? I ask Kelsi. "Three mistakes," she explains. Three mistakes! I make three mess-ups in one day, let alone a whole summer! Troy's saying something about looking on the bright side. Whatever. Then Chad cuts in.

"How did we get to the top of the world, to the bottom of heap?"

"I don't recall you mentioning the boss was such a creep," Taylor says. Well, Taylor, he's not that creepy! I think. Okay, well, maybe he is.

"We still have the ingredients to make this summer sweet," Zeke says. Oh, climb a tree Zeke!

"I've got rags instead of riches!" Martha cuts in.

"And all these dirty dishes!" I add.

"Just wish," Kelsi starts.

"I had three wishes!" we all finish. Now Troy's going on about working things out. He's so happy sometimes, it's annoying! I'm going to go up to say something, but Taylor's up there with Martha. Yesterday, Taylor threatened my life so I'm staying away from her. Oh good, they're done talking.

"I need the Benjamins, but this ain't worth the stress," I say.

"Maybe there's a better way to fix this place's mess," Kelsi and Zeke say. I love that my girlfriend and best friends are cool with each other. Troy's talking again, but now Kelsi's listening. Dang it, I have to listen to.

"If we all come together, we can work this out."

"Let's work it!" Now everyone's saying what they want. "It'll be so sweet," I say.

"Gonna make some motion pictures," everyone says what they want.

"So can we work this out?" Troy asks.

"Yeah, I guess," Chad relents.

Later on, I'm cleaning dishes like crazy when I hear Kelsi's song. I go to the backroom to check it out. She's sitting there, playing her song when she looks up and notices me.

"Hey Jason, what's up?" she asks.

"I heard the music. Did you finish it?" I ask her.

"Yeah, thanks to you. Listen," she commands and starts playing. The song is so beautiful. When she's done, she looks at me. "What do you think?" she asks me.

"That was…beautiful," I say, at a loss for words.

"Well I had some good inspiration. The only thing is I need to change the key, but after that it's ready," she says.

"Why would you need to change the key? It's perfect for Troy's range," I say.

"Well…I was thinking someone else could sing it," she says.

"You mean Chad?"

"No."

"Oh! Zeke!"

"No."

"Well then who?" I feel really confused. What other guy was here? She just kept smiling at me. Then it dawned on me. "Oh no! No! NO! I'm not singing in front of a bunch of people Do you know how scary that is? I've got major stage fright. I'm actually a lot better at basketball then I let on I just don't want to be the center of attention. No. I'll sing back up, let Troy sing the main part," I blurt out. She looks crestfallen.

"I guess," she says.

"I'll sing back up! And...if it'll make you happy...I'll...bake some brownies for you," I mumble. She brightens up.

"Okay!" she smiles. I love to see Kelsi smile. I know, me, make brownies? Yeah, well I've been friends with Zeke for a long time. We've all been friends for a long time. I just thought that Zeke could make brownies, cake, and cookies. I didn't think about all that other stuff. Anyways, I learned how to make killer good brownies by watching Zeke. Kelsi loves them; she forces me to make them all the time. Nobody else knows, so don't tell anyone.

I lean in to give her a quick kiss goodbye since she has to play for the ladies luncheon soon but...

"Jason! Lunch rush hour! Come on!" Chad yells, banging on the door.

"Gosh nam you Chad!" Kelsi mutters. I turn around grudgingly then look back at Kelsi. _Screw you Chad_ I think and run over to Kelsi to kiss her. We kiss for a long while and it's wonderful but then...

"JASON! IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE IN 5 SECONDS I'M GOING TO IMPAL YOU WITH YOUR OWN CUTTING KNIFE!" Taylor screams.

"I've gotta go," I say.

"See you later," Kelsi says, laughing.

It's been a couple minutes and now I'm cutting some stuff for Zeke. Just a few seconds ago, Troy and Gabriella rushed in smiling at each other. I think they were sneaking around, making out. I'm going to tell Martha!

"Martha? I think Troy and Gabriella were, you know, sneaking around," I say.

"That's nice Jase. Hey, honey, could you pass me the broccoli?" she asks me. I pass her the broccoli, feeling insulted. I start to hear our song playing from the backroom. I tell Martha and Taylor to come and check it out with me. Troy and Gabriella are singing, staring at each other like no one else exists. We all come in. Chad and Taylor pick up some extra copies and sing, staring at each other like Troy and Gabriella are. Martha and Zeke are sharing a copy. Zeke looks like his usual self – really happy. Martha is a hopeless romantic, so of course she's happy. Kelsi is looking at me and me at her and we're the only ones in the room, staring at each other. It's pure heaven. I wake up when I realize everyone else is clapping for Troy and Gabriella. I start to clap too, but I'm not clapping for them. I'm clapping for the composer of the song.

Troy's been acting really weird lately. He's been running away from us and ditching Gabriella. It's making everyone really mad. Including Kelsi and if she's mad, then I'm furious. He's being a real jerk. Hopefully, Gabriella can talk some sense into him before we shoot some hoops and then have that whole baseball tournament thingy. Kelsi's peeping through the window right now and sees the pair talking. She can tell by Gabriella's stance that she's stressed.

"Go! Get out there, help her!" she says, ushering us outside.

"Alright, let's see if Tiger Woods still has a jump shot," Chad says. The guy in the car says something to Troy. Boy, that guy sure looks familiar.

"Why don't you tell him to come here and mix it up, we'll show him some game!" Zeke exclaims, his normal, chipper self.

"You know, uh...I don't think that's how they roll," Troy says.

"That's not how they roll?" Chad says. When Chad repeats what you say, he's pissed. Right now, he's really pissed.

"No! That's not what I meant, it's just, I think it's a closed practice, sorry." Troy says. That jerk.

"Well, maybe you could get us a video," Chad says. You tell him Chad! The guy in the car beeps at Troy. Man, he looks familiar. I know him! He's got a really cool jacket too.

"You said we were gonna play 2 on 2 after work, before the baseball game," Zeke points out. I know that look. When Zeke ain't smiling, you know all hell is going to break loose.

"I know man, I'm sorry," he says. You sure don't look sorry! Troy runs to the car. That guy and his jacket! Man, this is going to kill me.

"Come on Zeke that was yesterday...when we were all on a team!" Chad shouts. Troy doesn't say anything. "Hey, Bolton, that's my basketball," Chad says. HOLY SHIT! CHAD TOOK HIS BASKETBALL FROM TROY! IT'S A THING BETWEEN THEM TO HAVE ONE OF EACH OTHER'S BASKETBALLS. I'M NOT GONNA CRY, I'M NOT GONNA CRY! I am however, going to look at that guy's awesome jacket!

"Would you guys be mad at me if I asked him to get me one of those cool Red-Hawks jackets?" I ask them. I just have to know! They both give me a dirty look then walk away. I'll take that as a no.

"Come on," Gabriella says, leading me to the door. Then I finally pinpoint that guy's face.

"THAT WAS TIGER WOOODS! TIGER WOODS!" I scream. Everyone gives me that look. I bet you they didn't know that.

We're at the game right now and Ryan's here. Weird. Gabriella invited him and he wants to play. Even weirder. He and Chad compete for pitching and...Ryan wins. Even weirderer...wait is that a word? Never mind, Zeke's pulling me to the dug-out.

Now, Ryan is trying to get Chad to dance. Chad doesn't dance! Unless, of course, Taylor tells him too, in which case, he would. That's beside the point though... we're playing right now and Ryan's team is winning. Now, THAT'S weird...Ryan's at bat now. Chad throws and...Ryan hit it! We're scrambling for it and...Ryan got a run! Mother lode weirdest of all things being weird. Now, they're all fighting about Chad's noncooperation to dance. But...Chad's running, he's gonna get the run, Ryan's gaining and...SAFE! WE WON! BOO-YAH! Ryan looks sad. Chad notices and is saying:

"So what would you have me do if I was going to dance?" he asks. Ryan doesn't say anything but he stands a bit taller. I'm hungry, I want a hot dog...where's Kelsi? I made three runs. I want her to congratulate me. I walk over to the hot dog stand to find Kelsi standing there, with seven loaded hot dogs. I love that girl.

"Why do you have so many? I can only eat three," I ask. She smiles, her eyes shining.

"The other four are for me." Kelsi can eat. That is so hot. We walk over to the table where Taylor and Gabriella are. "Where's Chad and Ryan?" Kelsi asks.

"In the bathroom," Taylor says evilly. Gabriella is laughing her ass off, trying not to choke. "We're going to go get some nachos and hot dogs. Don't drink my soda!" Taylor announces.

"Hey!" Ryan shouts. He's wearing Chad's clothes! Did he mug Chad? No, Chad is with him...wearing Ryan's clothes. Whoa. I take back what I said before. THIS is the mother lode weirdest of all things being weird. They sit down and start eating my hot dogs.

"Hello? That's mines!" I say.

"Taylor and Gabriella are going to go get some more!" Chad says. He starts shaking the ketchup bottle. He loves ketchup. "Alright, so you call that a 'little game'." Chad asks.

"Little...league...world series..." Ryan says. Chad looks at him.

"New Port, Rhode Island..." Chad shakes his head.

"Champs." I gap at them. Chad hits Ryan's head. Taylor and Gabriella walk over with NO food and hug the two guys.

"Hey, nice hat!" Taylor says. Gabriella giggles. Is there something I'm missing here?


	4. I Know All Of Your Songs

Why I Love You  
Chapter 4: I Know All Of Your Songs

Summary: Kelsi's POV. Starts from You Are the Music in Me (Sharpay's Version) to the scene on the lawn. I'm not including All For One, b/c that really wouldn't be a great couple sentences. Longest chapter so far, I got carried away.

Note: Thank you my faithful readers for staying with me! I love you so much!

* * *

"KELSI! I need you to come here!" Sharpay screams at me. Now? Does she really need me now!? I've been working on a song we can do for the talent show since Sharpay ruined my other one. It's called "Everyday." I've worked so hard on it. Jason's been helping a lot too with the demos. I feel bad for the guy. I get him whenever I get inspiration which could be at 3 o'clock in the morning. He never complains though.

"KELSI! NOW!" I rush to her. She's standing on a stage filled with decorations. What is going on? "Kelsi, remember how I told you to do those touch-ups on the song. Well, I need you to play it now for me, okay? Great!" she says and hops off. Who's she going to sing it with, Ryan? That would be weird.

"TROY!" Sharpay screams. Troy?! What's Troy doing here? Oh no, he's singing with her. This is not good! I hope Gabriella doesn't find out. She's mad at him as it is.

"Look, Sharpay, I know I promised I'd do this," he starts. PROMISED!? Oh, so that's what they were talking about at the dinner she invited him to. "...but just, take it easy on me I'm kinda new to the whole performing thing," he tells her. Like, she's going to take that into consideration.

"5, 6, 7, 8! Na na na na!" she sings. Oh, my beautiful song is ruined. Why?! Why would she do this to me? Troy looks just as scared as I feel sad. Poor guy, he probably didn't know what song she was going to sing. Oh, shoot, he's coming over here! What am I supposed to say?

"You did this for her?" he asks me.

"Yeah, now go sing!" I tell him.

"NO! Why would you do that, this isn't her song, it's mine and-" but Sharpay has come to get him. Gosh, she's all over him. I really hope Gabriella doesn't find out about this! HOLY CRUD, there's things going off everywhere! If _I _feel intimidated Troy must want to pee his pants! Oh, good, they finished! Hah! Sharpay just slapped Troy in the face with her hair. She's talking to her Sharpettes right now, so I can sit down. She's back over to him. What's she saying?

"You know, Troy, I always knew you were special, and it's pretty obvious I'm special too. I think we were meant to sing together! Don't you?" she squeals. Come on Troy, say something! Tell her she's crazy and you'll never sing with her!

"I need some air," Troy says instead. I guess that'll work...for now anyway.

"Uh-huha, go Martha!" I say. We're being a bunch of goofballs in the kitchen right now. Martha's dancing and Jason and I are making sound effects with the dishes.

"Attention! Guys, I need to make an announcement! All junior staffers will be required to work on show night," Taylor announces. WHAT!? My beautiful song! I wanted everyone to sing Everyday!

"It says no staff participation in the show will be allowed, no acceptations," Taylor says. Gabriella takes the paper from her. Taylor's saying something, but I'm not listening. I can't believe this. This has to be a nightmare, or an elaborate joke.

"Uh-uh, there's no way this is Fulton's idea!" Chad is saying.

"Unless Fulton suddenly had blonde hair and wears designer flip-flops," I say. Make a note: I will kill Sharpay!

"Excuse me," Gabriella says, walking out the door. Taylor and Chad look at each other, but neither knows what to say. He walks away to get some air and Taylor follows. She's putting her arm around his waist and he leans into her.

"Kels, honey, you should sit down, you look like you're about to faint," Martha is saying to me.

I sit down and put my head on the counter. I peek out from under my arm and see Taylor and Chad still holding each other. I start to space out a bit when suddenly a voice says:

"Hey guys!" it's Jason. I rush over to him since he doesn't know what happened. "How ya'-" I cover his mouth.  
"Jason, something's happened," I say.

"What?" he says. At least I think that's what he said. I couldn't understand him. I look at Taylor and Chad, still holding each other and grimace at Jason. I don't know how he's going to take this.

It's the next day at breakfast and we're all buzzing. Trying to figure out a loophole, and still practicing the song, I guess. I've got a bunch of copies of the flyer about the show and I'm drawing things all over Sharpay's stupid name. Who the hell names their kid "Sharpay" anyway? Isn't that a dog's name? A very ugly dog's name? Everything goes quiet suddenly. What's going...oh, Troy just walked in. Chad walks over to me to avoid Troy.

"So, there's that one part in the song, I just can't get it. It's that part where we all join in. I'm always late by a few seconds," Chad tells me.

"I have trouble with that part too. I got it the other day though, I was so proud!" Jason says.

"How the hell do you miss that part, your girlfriend wrote it!" Chad yells at him.

"I wasn't there when she wrote that part!" Jason defends himself.

"Well, in that case, congrats. I can't get some of the dance moves either," Chad says to me.

"Ah, well, it's okay, Ryan's gonna help us," I tell him. I don't understand that part either, but Ryan's the choreographer, so whatever.

"I don't know, I kinda-"

"We'll get it eventually!" I say, trying to boost his spirits. Troy sits at the table we're sitting at. Chad looks at him.

"Excuse me," he says, walking away. Jason looks at him too and walks away. In his book, because Troy is singing with Sharpay, Troy's just as guilty as she is. He's really pissed at Troy, but I have a hunch it's not his fault. Troy looks confused. I hand him one of the flyers that doesn't have scribbling on it. He looks at and crumples it up, walking away.

I hear this ear-popping scream. It must be from Sharpay. I'm not fired am I? I rush outside to make sure I'm not.

"I'm an employee. Employees aren't allowed in the show," Troy's saying.

"No no no no no! You're an honorary member!"

"Not anymore. I asked Fulton for my kitchen job back." Singing basketball player say what?!...wow, I've been watching too much Hannah Montana. "Sharpay, I don't like the way you've been treating my friends and I don't like the way I've been treating them either. So I'm doing something about it!" I can't believe it. He did it! I knew he would do it. I've gotta tell everyone, I've gotta...wait! they're still talking!

"No! You've got a show to do. I've got a kitchen to clean," he says. I realize I can't get back inside in enough time without her knowing I'm eavesdropping...the piano! I'll go there.

"Kelsi, find Ryan," she says. I smile. I've got some scheming to do.

"NO! No, no no! A million times no! I am not doing it!" Jason is saying.

"Why not!?" I whine.

"Because even if I hate Troy right now, he's still been my friend for a long time and stealing is WRONG!" he says.

"We're not stealing, we are giving Gabriella back what is rightfully hers," I say to him.

"Well, we are breaking and entering!" he says.

"You've got a key and we're not breaking anything," I inform him.

"Kelsi," he whines.

"Jason," I whine. That's it, this calls for drastic measures. I step closer and closer to him until I'm right up against him. I start playing with his hair and looking into his eyes. He lets me stay here for a couple seconds the backs away.

"NO! That's not fair!" he says. I get closer to him again and bat my eyes cheesily.

"Please? I can't do it without you," I tell him in a baby voice.

"What do I get, huh? Besides, if you had a key to Troy's house, you wouldn't need my help," he tells me.

"But I don't have a key, so you are an asset to me at this moment. What you get is to spend precious time with your precious girlfriend," I say. He's still not giving in. Alright, fine. "You also get to hang out with me the whole day on Saturday," I tell him. He smiles. I've got him. "We can do whatever you want as long as it does not include bungee jumping or scuba diving...or cliff diving," I tell him. He pulls me close to him again.

"You promise," he says to me.

"I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die," I say.

"Then...I guess," he says. YES!

"Alright, let's go!" I say, pulling him along to Troy's house.

We are currently at Troy's house, in his room. But we're facing a dilemma: we have no clue where the necklace is and Jason won't come into his room. Where could it be? I wonder.

"I've got it! Look in this dresser, right here, the second drawer," he instructs me. "Now, go to the bottom. There should be a little doorknob," he says.

"Yeah, there is," I say.

"Good, now open it and inside should be a case," he says. There is. I open the case and there's a bunch of stuff in it, including Gabriella's necklace. SCORE! I look at the other things.

"What are they?" I ask.

"I don't know. I saw him looking through it once and when I asked he just said it was 'special stuff' so I dropped it," Jason tells me. I look at him, and wonder what could be so special to Troy. Never mind, we've got other problems. I put all the stuff back and take out Jason's cell phone.

"Taylor, I have the necklace. Get to Gabriella's house and try to convince her to come. I'll meet you there," I tell her.

"How do you know she'll come?" she asks me. I look at the necklace.

"I think I've got some leverage."

"She's not going to listen to you! I tried," Taylor is telling me. I ignore her and go inside Gabriella's room.

"Gabriella-"

"Save it Kelsi!" she tells me.

"Look at what I'm holding. It's your necklace. He still had it. Jason said that where I found it is with a bunch of other things he holds dear. If that was with it, what does that say about his feelings for you?" I ask her. She looks at me. "He's still Troy. He told Sharpay to buzz off, he's not singing with her. You have to come. Please!" I say. She still looks at me. I look around her room. I look at one of the pictures and see that it's a picture of him. "It's obvious what you feel about him. You have to come," I plead. I look at her and she's crying.

"If you really want me to go," she says, but I know she isn't doing this for him. I gesture for Taylor to come in.

"Look at this. Taylor found some bits of the security camera tapes and wanted to show you this," I say. Gabriella looks at the screen.

_"Not anymore. I asked Fulton for my kitchen job back. Sharpay, I don't like the way you've been treating my friends and I don't like the way I've been treating them either. So I'm doing something about it!"_

_"Troy, an entire table of university boosters are coming to see you...thanks to me!"_

_"So I'll be their waiter, they'll be thrilled!"_

"Do you see that girl?" Taylor yells at Gabriella.

"He's doing this for YOU!" I tell her. She just stares at us.

"I don't have anything to wear!" she says, but we can tell the fight's gone. She's coming.

We pull up just as Troy is walking away. "Where's he going?" I ask.

"To talk to Sharpay," Ryan says. "It's all going to turn out fine. We've got it under control. Gabriella, come here, places!" Ryan says all business. I rush to where Troy is.

"Actually right now, I think I like you better than I like myself. Did I just say that?!" Sharpay is saying. Troy nods at her. I peek in to see Sharpay preparing. YES! I run around to get there before Troy.

"Okay, everyone, show's on. Ryan? Here' s the music," I say, handing him my baby, Everyday.

"Okay, everyone, talked to Sharpay, everything's cool," Troy says.

"Speaking of my sister, she wants you to learn a new song," Ryan says.

"Everyday...I can't learn a new song!" Troy yelps.

"Kelsi will help you!" Ryan says. I take Troy's hand and run to the backroom to work on it with him.

"Kelsi, this is impossible," Troy is saying.

"You can do it, I know you can. You are musically inclined," I tell him. He looks at me. "Just go with it, now come on!" I scream at him.

I'm playing the piano, and Troy starts to sing.

"Once in a lifetime means there's no second chance. So I believe that you and me, should grab it while we can."

"Make it last forever, and never give it back." Troy keeps singing, looking for the voice. Suddenly, Gabriella appears. The look on that boy's face is enough to make anyone smile. She walks up the aisle to go to him and when they meet they just smile. I wouldn't have been surprised if they started making out right then and there. He looks at her and I can tell he noticed the necklace. They sing like no one else is there. I can't help looking at them, but something else catches me. It's Jason, and he's saying the lyrics with the two. How does he know it? I didn't have him do the demo; it was Gabriella and Ryan that did the demo. How does he know it? Never mind, big part coming up. I hope Chad gets it! And...Perfection! Everyone is singing perfectly, the exact notes! I love this! I run up to hug them.

We go up to the hill, arm in arm with someone. We walk down the hill and I look at Jason. He just smiles, but it looks different. I know that look...oh! It's when he trying to think too hard for his own good. I look at him and ask him the question I was thinking earlier.

"How did you know the song? I didn't teach you the whole thing, just the ending," I ask him.

"You wrote it. I know all of your songs. Every song in Twinkle Towne," he says.

"Really?" I ask. I've got tears in my eyes.

"Of course," Jason says, hugging me.

"Kelsi!" Sharpay screams. I freeze up. She laughs. "Come on!" she yells.

"That was scary," I say to Jason. I lean in to kiss him but I feel the sprinklers go off.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Jason says. I get down and run after Taylor who's smiling evilly. "YOU!" I yell. I chase her and Chad comes to her rescue. Jason comes up from behind and jumps on him. I continue my chase of Taylor and we all start screaming. Jason finds me and grabs me. He picks me up and runs off. "Jason!" I yell. He puts me down and smiles. I look at him.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Kelsi...I...I love you," he says simply. I look at him.

"Do you mean it?" I ask.

"Yes. I love you." I run up to him and jump up, kissing him. He kisses me back.

"I love you too," I say. I mean it with all my heart.


	5. It's On!

It's On

Summary: Jason's POV. Now or Never to I Want It All. I'm sooooooo sorry it took so long! The next chapter should be up REALLY soon!

* * *

We're going down. We're going to lose. We're going to lose our title, Troy's injured, none of us have any hope left, and Kelsi's going to dump me. I just know it. And no, that last part was not an exaggeration. That's why I'm not playing so hot. Or at least as hot as I pretend I can play. Coach Bolton is saying something, but I don't care right now. Oh, wait, now Troy's talking, I have to care.

"Alright. Hey guys, now you heard coach. We're all going to remember the next 16 minutes after we leave East High," he said. You bet you! Keep talking Troy. Oh, wait, he is still talking. Tuning back in:

"…now or never. Chad?" he finished, patting Chad. I look at Chad. Poor guy looks like he's about to cry! Aw…

"WHAT TEAM?!" he screamed. We do our cheer and run out. I look myself over. Jersey? Check. Pants? Check. Lucy socks? Double check. Let's rock this joint.

I look over at the cheerleaders and see Martha Cox and Becky, that blonde cheerleader that's in love with Chad. And Zeke…and Troy…and me…and Jimmy…come to think of it, she's in love with the whole basketball team…and football team…and soccer team…and chess team…and the guys in the drama department…anyway…

We go through all that routine stuff and the game's on! Like, two seconds later Troy scores. Jeez Troy why couldn't you do that earlier? Troy scores again! Whoa, that was a quickie.

"The way we play tonight is what we leave behind!" Troy yelled. I thought we left behind our books and lockers? Well, you learn something new everyday, I guess. Oh, Willey the Wildcat is dancing! Where's Kelsi? She should be here. Whoa, look at the scoreboard! We are catching up!!!!

BAM! Someone just smashed into Troy! That mother…I should…that son of a…I can't believe…that's a foal…I…Troy?!…10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…breathe…Yeah, I just did yoga breathing. Normally, I'd start swearing but Ryan says it's "cleansing for the soul to not lose your head." Chad's getting better grades, so I guess I should listen to Ryan…breathe…and calm. Is Troy all right? He doesn't look all right. Troy, please don't die! Whoa! Why'd it just go dark? Gabriella comes over, and is sayin' something to Troy. He smiles and continues playing. Is she like, magic or something? WE continue playing until:

Some dumb ass just knocked Chad's jaw! Nuh-uh, those guys better watch it because if they knock into my buddy Zeke, I'll kill 'em, screw Ryan's cleansing! Troy calls for a huddle. Where's Kelsi? I wish I could find her. I miss her. WAIT, WHAT DID TROY JUST SAY?! HE WANTS TO WHAT?!

"Rocketman, Rocketman, come one Rocketman, you're in," Coach Bolton says. Troy did say what I thought he said. I can't believe it.

We're runnin', we're runnin', and I look up to the stands and see KELSI! She's finally here!!!!!!! I'm so happy! And Troy's got the ball. He's gonna shoot. NO! He shoots to Rocketman! Rocketman shoots the ball and…WE DID IT! TAKE THAT YOU SONS OF WITCHES! WHO'S YOUR DADDY!?

Ryan's head pops out of the Wildcat. I forgot he was the mascot…oh well.

I can't find Kelsi and that makes me sad. But I have however, spotted Martha Cox.

"Jase! You were amazing!" she screamed, hugging me.

"Thanks Martha Cox! Nice leading of the cheers," I told her. She laughs. I call her by her full name. I don't know why, I just do. "Hey, have you seen Kelsi?"

"I saw her talking with Ryan a few minutes a go," Martha informed me, then hopped off somewhere. I look around, then finally spot Kels after ten minutes.

"KELSI!" I scream to her. She's talking with Ryan. She talks a lot with him lately, but I don't mind. Chad says I should worry, but I trust Kelsi. She looked up to see me and smiles distractedly. What am I distracting her from?

"Good job Jason!" she told me.

"Thanks," I said shyly. Ryan smiles then walked off, probably to go find Chad.

"Do you need a ride to the after party?" she asked me.

"That would be nice," I answered. There's no way in hell I'm getting stuck pushing Troy's run-down truck.

* * *

"Is this the Electric Slide?" I asked. Kelsi nodded, looking in pain. "Can we say, 'get with the now?'" I asked. Kelsi looked at me. "Yeah, you can go D.J. I'll just here, all alone, by myself, no date," I told her. She hugged me.

"I'll come by after a while okay?" she said, kissing my cheek and walking away. Sigh. I miss you already. I feel so – hey look, there's Chad and Troy! I ran into Troy.

"Waz' up dudes! Back to back champions!" I screamed. Zeke grabs me and we double high five. Zeke's my best buddy.

"Where's Kels?" he asked.

"She's D. They were playing the Electric Slide," I told him. He cringes. That brings back painful memories. A word of advice: Never let your stuck-in-the-70's and 80's parents drive your friends around.

A pair of arms engulfs me. I look to my side and find Kelsi hugging me.

"Hey there baby. You done D.?" I asked. She nodded. I turned around and kissed her.

"Jason! You are not allowed to kiss your girl in front of me until I actually have a girl!" Zeke scolded me. I ignore him and continue kissing Kelsi. I can feel her laugh into my lips. "JASON!" Zeke whines.

"Kelsi, there's something I want to show you!" I yelled finally, grabbing her wrist. I heard her laugh as I pulled her along. I brought her to one of the many trees in Troy's humungo backyard. I moved some plants and revealed a hole. I pulled her inside. It was bigger than it seemed.

"This is so cool!" Kelsi said. She looked around.

"Troy and I found this when we were kids. We made it bigger and put some stuff in the tree so it wouldn't collapse," I said, feeling smart. I sat back against one of the walls and she laid on my chest. I put my arms around her.

"You know…right here, with you, I feel like I can do anything," I told her.

"You have a way with the cheese factor, don't you Jason?"

"I'm not kidding. I've never taken anyone in here. This place is like…sacred. You're only the third girl that's been here!" I told her. She pinched my arm.

"Chad brought one of his girlfriends in here and Troy brought his cousin, Hannah. You're the first girl I've brought here and you're the only girl I want to bring up here. When the game was going, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I didn't know where you were and I couldn't concentrate," I told her. She looked up at me. Her eyes looked a bit misty.

"Jason…sometimes you can be the sweetest guy," she said.

I love her. Wait a second…sometimes?! Bogus. I'm sweet all the time!

* * *

So Mrs. Darbus is saying something about the game yesterday. I don't care, I'm tired. I stayed up talking to Kelsi till like three hours ago... among other things. Which would make it around four o'clock. Between my randomness, her obsession with music and tween idols and the fact that we're going out, we can go on for hours. She really likes that Zac Efron guy but I think Ryne Sanborn is pretty cool. Now _she's_ talking. She scares me. She's always so mean to me. I don't know how Chad puts up with her. She's trying to get us to join a bunch of committees. Yeah right.

"Questions?" she asked.

"Yeah. What's the lunch special in the cafeteria today?" Chad asked. I was wondering about that but even I wouldn't be dumb enough to ask her that while she's talking about school related things.

"New York Deli," she answered. Ooh, burn! Mrs. Darbus is talking again. Tuning out. I look over at Kelsi and I see her shoot up, hunch down, write some stuff and hand it to Mrs. Darbus. I think it's the sign up sheet for the musical.

"OH! Almost the entire home room!" Mrs. Darbus screamed. WHAT THE HELL!?

* * *

"Kelsi, I can' t do this, I've got a job!"

"I told you I don't sing!"

"I've got stage fright!"

"We've got prom, student council, yearbook, and other assorted things coming up, there's no way!"

"I've got stage fright!"

"I would've joined if you would've asked me first, Kelsi!"

"DOES ANYONE CARE THAT I HAVE STAGE FRIGHT!" I screamed. "Look, I'll be retaking my finals two or three times. I'll be moving into the library!" I yelled. AND I HAVE STAGE FRIGHT! DID SHE FORGET THAT LITTLE FACT!?

"Hey, hey, Kelsi's right, we should all do this!" Gabriella goes on with a "we're all in this together" speech. We all started talking again.

"Come on, we're all in this together guys!" Ryan said.

"Shut-up Ryan, you're a drama member, you're biased! You're opinion doesn't count at this point!" I yelled at him. He smiled widely.

"Troy?" Gabriella whispered. Oh no!

"I'm in," Troy said sadly. Just frackin' great! Now that Troy's in, everyone's going to be in. I'm never going to pass high school. Kelsi's going to leave me because I'm an idiot. Okay, that last part was an exaggeration; she already knows I'm not that smart.

Now Mrs. Darbus is saying something about the show being about us. Whatever, just give me the lines and put behind someone really tall. Now she's telling everyone about the people who might get the scholarship for Julliard.

THIS INCLUDES KELSI! CAN I GET A BOO-YAH!!!!! AND IT INCLUDES TROY – wait, it includes Troy?! Is this some kind of practical joke? I'm tuning out now I can't stand this!

* * *

"Why don't you break my heart? Make it hurt so bad, come and give it your best, nothing less, I insist, I want it just like that…" I sang. Cool song. Kelsi loves the music to it, which makes it my favorite song. She's in love with singer…well, she loves me more, but you know, he's her second choice. I think. Oh man, now this is really going to bother me. Does she love him more than me? Does she love us equally?

"Kelsi always writes her best songs for Troy and Gabriella," I heard Sharpay say. Well not exactly. She writes them for me, but has Troy and Gabriella sing them. There's a difference. "So you make certain we get those songs." Yeah right. Like your evil schemes ever work. Ryan won't listen to you!

"How?" SINGING, DANCING, BLONDE BOY SAY WHAT?! REALLY?!

"Polish her glasses, buy her some ruby slippers, take her to prom…" WHAT THE F-BOMB! SHE'S MY GIRL TO TAKE TO PROM, NOT HIS! "just do it."

Okay now Ryan, tell her she's full of it, tell her you'll never listen to her, you don't want to be her poodle, tell her anything, just don't stand there!

Uh-uh.

He's going to try and break Kelsi and me up!

Oh that's it.

A word to Ryan: It's on!

And lunkhead basketball boy does not stop until he wins!


	6. What Have I Done?

What Have I Done?

Summary: This one is very different from all the other chapters. It starts out as Kelsi, and then it will be Jason, and then back to Kelsi. If I did it the way I usually did it, it would be a pathetically short chapter, so I'm doing it this way. It's the longest so far too, I think. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

"Hey Kelsi," Ryan said, leaning against the locker next to mine.

"Hey Ryan."

"So, what are you doing after school?" he asked me.

"Nothing really. I mean, Jason said he needed to tell me something 'important, urgent, and downright juicy,' but I'm sure it'll be quick. He talks fast when he's excited," I told him. And also something "important, urgent, and downright juicy" to him is that the guy who does the voice for Tony the Tiger sang Mr. Grinch.

"Well in that case do you want to go have dinner with me?" he asked.

"Like a date?" I asked. I asked this because Ryan had asked me out in the past. I said no every time, the most recent letdowns because I was with Jason.

"Well, I guess yeah," he said confidently.

"Look, Ryan…you're a sweet guy, really any girl would be lucky to have you, but not me. I've got Jason and he's all I need. Go ask out Martha, she really likes you," I told him, trying to let him down easy.

"Fine then, not a date, but two friends getting together to hang out," he restates.

"If you try anything…" I warned him.

"I won't! I'll pick you up at seven!" he said, running off somewhere.

"Kelsi! I've got something to tell you!" Jason said. We were by the flagpole. It's where I usually met him.

"I could tell! What's up?" I asked.

"Sharpay and Ryan are working together again and they're trying to steal songs from you by getting close to you!" he said in one breath. I stared at him.

"That's ridiculous! I was just talking to Ryan and he seemed perfectly normal!" I told him.

"What do you…he asked you out again, didn't he? You like him, don't you?" Jason accused. My face got red.

"NO! We're just friends going out to eat at a restaurant," I defended. It sounded weak coming from my mouth, and I didn't believe it, and I knew he didn't believe it.

"You agreed to go out with him?! Kelsi!" he yelled.

"I'm my own person, I can go out with who I want!" I yelled. He took a deep breath, and then shook his head.

"Fine. Go out with him see if I care. But if he makes a move on you, kick him where it counts and call me. I'll beat him up, drive you home and refrain from saying 'I told you so.'" Jason said. I rolled my eyes, and walked off.

"Wait! Have you written any new songs?" he asked. That's the reason I love him. Even when we fight, he still cares. I walked back over.

"It's called 'Just Wanna Be With You.' It's not completely done, but I hope you like it," I told him, handing him some papers. He took them, smiled, and walked towards his house.

It's after the dinner. I'm tired and…confused. The whole time I was there I wanted Ryan to…I don't know. Not kiss me, but hold my hand or something. It's so gosh nam weird. I know I should call Jason and tell him I'm home and ask him if he liked my song, and ask him if he's okay (he's got a screwed up family) but I just don't want to. I want to call Ryan. I can't believe it. This is all wrong.

"Just do it, just say it, just tell him," I mutter.

"Tell who what?" Jason asked. WHOA! Where'd he come from?

"I needed to talk to you actually. I…I…I need a break," I told him, my heart clenching. He looked at me unknowingly.

"A break from what?" he asked.

"From this, from us."

"Are you…breaking up with me?"

"Not exactly. Just taking a break. We can see other people and stuff," I mumbled. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"What?! Why…Evans. So I was right huh?" he asked bitterly. I nodded, guilty.

"I'm sorry." It sounded pathetic, even to me.

"Oh go climb a tree! And why don't you get your stupid boyfriend to help you! And just for the record, I told you so!" he yelled, stomping off.

Oh, what have I done?

"Kels? Are you okay?" Ryan asked me. I was sitting in the music room, by the piano.

"No I'm not okay. I just broke the heart of one of the nicest guys I will probably ever know and the sucky thing is that I really don't even feel that bad about it!" I yelled.

"I feel like a freaking sociopath!"

"Hey, it's okay!" he said, running over to me. He sat down on the piano bench next to me, and hugged me. I sobbed into his shoulder. "Why did you break up with Jason?"

"Because I think I like another guy," I mumbled, blushing like crazy. Ryan let go of me. He looked at me.

"What other guy?" he asked.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to say that yet," I mumbled. He smiled.

"I'll wait for it," he said. Was there a double meaning there, or is that just me?

_**JASON'S POV!**_

"Look, just cowboy up there, and tell her how it's gonna be!" I told my best buddy Zeke. Those cookies smell really good. Forget that. I'm putting on a brave face for him. Inside, I want to scream and cry because Kelsi and I 'took a break!' But my buddy needs me to be strong, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm like Spiderman; I put on a brave face for the people even though I'm sad that M.J. and me are fighting because of my Spidermandedness. Martha's pretty torn up about this whole thing, so I asked her to the dance. Might as well go with my female best friend than go with my male best friend and his date. Anyway, back to Zeke.

"Yeah, she's gonna listen. And listen good!" Zeke said. Please don't pussy out on me! I need my little boy to leave mommy's nest, because it's getting crowded as hell! Those cookies smell really good. I have to try one!

"You got this man. Now listen, give me these cookies, you don't need them. You got this, now go," I said. YES! THEY ARE WITHIN GRASP! Zeke started to reach for them. I held them closer. "You're empowered, you don't need these, now go!" I told him. Go sweep Sharpay off her feet…while I sweep these cookies into my stomach. "Go, I'm here, I'm here!" I said, sitting down. I hope he does it. I started eating some of those delicious cookies!

"Hey Jason!" someone yelled. It was HIM.

"Was that the wind? I don't know!" I yelled. Ryan sat next to me.

"Very mature. Look, I know this is awkward but we have to do the musical together so I think we should sort this out like the mature adults we are," Ryan said. I looked at him. He seemed sincere…

"Alright," I said slowly, unsure, "what do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Well now, I know we both like-"

"You may like her, but I love her," I put in.

"Fine. We both have feelings for her but she is her own person and I think we should let her decide and be fine with that choice," Ryan said. Sounds fair enough. Like in Saved By The Bell, where Kelly started going out with that one guy and Zack just accepted it. Eventually…although the guy wound up cheating on Kelly. Oh, if Ryan hurts her…don't think about that. Wait…would Ryan hurt her? I mean, I know he kinda likes her, but he only hangs out with her now because Sharpay told him too…

"Ryan? Do you really like her? Because I know what you and Sharpay are planning. And if this is all a game, I'll kick your ass. I don't think you'd do that, but I'm just saying," I warned him. He looked troubled and didn't say anything.

"You do like her, right?" No answer again. "Ryan? I need some kind of confirmation here. I don't care if it's a nod, I just need a yes," I told him. He still didn't answer. "Are you saying you have no feelings toward Kelsi? The fact that she broke up with me for you doesn't faze you at all?! I can't believe this!" I yelled, standing up.

"Now, Jason look. I do like Kelsi, but I'm not sure if I _like_ her," he started to say.

"Then you shouldn't be flirting with her! You should be flirting with Martha not Kelsi! You ruined a perfectly good relationship because you and your sister think you're better than everyone else! Well newsflash: you're not!" I yelled.

"I don't think I'm better than everyone else!" he whimpered.

"PROVE IT! Break up with Kelsi! Or don't even go out with her!" I said. He shook his head and walked away.

"TRAITER!" I screamed after him. That stopped him for a second, but he kept walking. "I hope you and Kelsi have a good time at prom, because I know Martha and I will be. She doesn't need you anyway!" I yelled. I know it's not true, but I need to let off some steam. I hate him with every fiber of my being. I need some sugar! I grabbed the remainder of the cookies and shoved them into my mouth. Oh shit, Zeke's coming, hide the evidence!

"Well?"

"Didn't even give her a chance to say no!" Zeke said. That's my boy! I think I'm gonna cry! My baby...asking a girl to the prom...it's moments like these that make life perfect!

"You and Sharpay and me and Martha," I mused aloud. Who'd a-thunk? We always thought it'd be me and my girlfriend and Zeke with his best friend.

"Things are looking up."

"Absolutely," I said. Did I really believe that? No, not really.

"Where are my cookies?" OH CRAPOLA! HE KNOWS!

"Uh…" Very good defense!

RING! Boo-yah! Saved by the bell. Which is a good TV show. Obviously, since I made a reference to it before.

"You ate all the cookies?" I need to get my books and run! "Those were for Sharpay, not for you!"

"I'm sorry okay? They were so good and I had one and then…"

"Unbelievable!" But I still got away with it! Jason got skillz!

* * *

"Guess now it's official!" Troy said. Yippee. Prom. Dancing. Kelsi and Ryan hanging out. Kelsi and Ryan kissing. Me, along, sitting in the corner. How fun is that? Well, I guess I won't be alone exactly. Martha Cox will be sitting in the corner, muttering with me. She really likes Ryan and I love Kelsi so we thought, why not?

"Can't back out, can't back out, no!" Chad groaned. Hey, at least he's got a date!

"Don't panic!" Troy warned.

"PANIC!" Chad countered. Zeke and I finally walked in.

"Now do we have to dress up for the prom?" I asked. It's not like Marta will care.

"Dude, I don't think we have the choice!" Zeke told me. Well, he doesn't have a choice, he's going with the Ice Princess. I'm going with my best friend. I bet Kelsi is all happy, getting a dress, trying to match what the son of a witch backstabber is going to wear. I bet he's going to wear something really weird, and everyone is going to laugh at him! Well, I know Martha Cox and I will be. I'm getting Dots to throw at him!

"Here's your suit!" some lady said, handing me the weirdest tux I have ever seen. It's baby blue! Really?! Do I look like my twin sister still dresses me? I put it on. The sleeves go way over my hands. I'm freaking swimming in it.

"I think this tux is too baggy," I said.

"Too tight, it makes me look weird," I heard Troy say. Dude, you look good in anything! I looked over at Zeke.

"Peach is so not your color!" I told him.

"Shut-up!"

* * *

"It's the night of our nightmares!" the guys sang. Hell yeah.

"It's the night of our dreams!"

"It's too late to back out of it!" Well, Martha said I don't have to go…

"Makeovers, massages."

"Don't know what a corsage is!" I do! My sister went to prom! I feel smart!

"Been waitin' all our lives for this!" Waiting all your lives to go to prom? Really? Or is it waiting all your lives to break up with your awesome boyfriends for some jerk in tight pants whose sister still dresses him!

CHORUS! Yippee. Now that weird leg thing that all the guys do. It's actually pretty fun. I get to wear dorky socks and not be laughed at!

Illegitimate traitor and Sharpay's solo thingy. Stupid butthead. Guess what? You always look like a waiter! And what's there to shave honestly!? You're still going through puberty, you don't need to shave yet!

I rang the doorbell. Mine is cooler than anyone else's! I get Martha for a partner. She looks really good in that dress. HAH! We get to win prom king and queen, and Kelsi and that invalid Benedict Arnold don't!

Kelsi and Judas walk in. I bet he bought that ugly ass suit with the thirty pieces of silver he got from his stupid sister! But boy, does Kelsi look beautiful. I was right; they would wear a weird color. My least favorite color actually: peach. Ryan knows it's my least favorite color, I bet that's why he picked it. Nevertheless, she looks stunning.

We walk up to our dance partners. I almost stop at Kelsi, but I move on to Martha. I can see how hard it is for her to have to walk past Ryan…I mean that wicked fink! Taylor's dress is kinda weird. Sharpay's is WAY too pink. Gabriella's is okay. Kelsi is beautiful, of course, and like I said, Martha's is awesome. The number is finished. FINALLY!

I need some fresh air. I need to get away from Kelsi. I'm suffocating.

KELSI'S POV

The music is beautiful. Granted, I'm biased because I wrote it, but still. I feel bad. When Jason gave me back the music, he left a note. It said he loved the song, it was my best yet. He said it really showed how he felt about going away. I think somewhere in the back of his head he knows he might not pass high school. He'd stay here, with his family. He'd get his GED and I would go off to Julliard. He knows it, and I knew how bad it hurt him. That's why I wrote this song. I stopped playing. I'm not with him anymore; I don't need to remember that crap. I continued playing.

I made a change on the music. Ryan walked in.

"Morning."

"Morning," I mumbled. Gosh, he makes he nervous. He sat down and played the opening. He started to sing it.

"I've got a lot of things I have to do. All these distractions, our future's coming soon. We're being pulled,"

"a hundred different directions," I joined in, smiling.

"But whatever happens, I know I've got you," we ended. He smiled. My heart is racing. "It's beautiful," he said.

"Thanks," I said. Oh gosh, does my face look as hot as it feels? This feels like…like…like when I…when I first talked to Jason…wait, why am I think about him right now?

"Speaking of prom…what are you doing?" he asked. OH MY GOODNESS. HE'S GOING TO ASK ME TO THE PROM! I rambled on about the musical.

"Great. I'll pick you up at eight," he said. WHOA! I just got asked to prom! I have to go tell…wait. I can't tell Jason. Okay, what about…wait. I can't tell Martha either. Why am I so sad? Do I want to go with Ryan? Yes, of course I do. I left Jason for Ryan. I have to like Ryan, I just have to!

JASON'S POV!

Painting sets. So much fun! Yes, I just used sarcasm. I've been doing that a lot lately. Ever since I found out Sharpay's poodle asked Kelsi to the prom and she said yes. Zeke said I'm no fun, but I pointed out that he wasn't any fun whenever Sharpay was trying to steal Troy. That seemed to shut him up.

Troy and Gabriella are singing our song. That was my favorite song, and now even that's not mine anymore! Even better, now Kelsi and the miscreant are flirting. Where's Mrs. Darbus when I need her! She never let Kelsi and I flirt! Give the quisling three detentions. Wait, would quisling work in this situation? Oh well, never mind that!

"That's five everybody," the…I can't think of an insult right now…just said. I went and sat down on one of the seats in the house. See? I'm throwing around that theatre lingo! I can roll with the best of 'em!

"Hey Jason," Martha said, plopping down next to me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I just need to get away from all the love," Martha said, gesturing. It was true, lots of love. Ms. Pink was sitting in Zeke's lap, Taylor is playing Chad's hair, Troy and Gabriella are attempting to make out, but failing miserably because Jimmy keeps interrupting them, and then…the other two. I patted her hand. Martha laid her head on my shoulder.

"I hate being the lovesick girl who everyone always hates because she can't get over the guy. I promised that would never happen, yet here it is," she said.

"You're not the lovesick girl who everyone hates because you unlike that other girl, are trying to get over it. That girl doesn't get over it," I told her. I think I'm trying to convince her as much as I am myself. She kissed my cheek.

"You're a good guy Jason. I wish you were _the guy _for me, but you're not. You will be for someone and she'll be lucky, however random you may be," she laughed. I flicked her arm.

"I'm not that random!" I yelled. She laughed. "Hey, what's the name of that butterfly that looks exactly like the monarch, but it's not?" I asked. She laughed.

"You're unbelievable!" she yelled. What did I say?

* * *

All will be well in the end! Now tell me what you think! PLEASE!


	7. My Little Boy Is Growing Up!

Why I Love You  
Chapter 7: My Little Boy Is Growing Up

Summary: Back to normal…whatever the heck that is. Jason's POV.

* * *

Why me? Why me? Why? Well, I'll tell you why: because my ex-girlfriend's boyfriend thinks she's still in love with me so he's taking his anger out on me. That's why. What am I talking about you ask? Well, I got stuck putting up every single one of the prom posters. Why am I complaining? Because there are 101 of them for me to put up all around campus…with no help. Oh yeah, I'm pissed.

"Hey Jase!" Martha Cox yelled. I smiled. She's got this vibe about her. She's always got this happy glow even when I know she's not happy. And believe me, she's not happy. If you talk to Chad or Troy or even Taylor, they'll tell you she's fine and she's getting over him. But I know Martha. She tutored me all through middle school and freshman year of high school. I know her enough to know when she's really depressed. Like now. But she's sure good at hiding it, and even so, she can never be truly upset. I don't know if that made sense, but it's who she is.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Well, I heard Ryan say that you were putting these up all by yourself and I figured I'd lend you a hand," she said, picking up a poster. I smiled again.

"Thanks," I said. I love Martha. She's my best friend (I'm not saying I love her more than Zeke! They are equal in my heart!). I don't know what I'd do without her…I just wish I _loved_ her, not loved her.

Stupid poster won't go up. She jumped up to get it to stick and it fell again. I let out a grunt. This stupid poster isn't making our job any easier.

I heard bickering. There they come. They fight all lot these days. Which makes me beyond happy.

"Quick, look happy!" Martha said.

"Why?"

"Because if we look happy, it'll make them miserable!" she explained. I nodded. I think that sounded smartistic…is that a word. My brother said it was, but I'm not so sure now…oh well.

"Get it up, get it up!" she squealed. We both jumped up to get the evil poster to stick. It stuck! Kelsi and him got closer. It looked like they were eavesdropping. I leaned in to Martha a bit and smiled.

"It looks great," I said, trying to be sweet. She caught on.

"You think so?"

"Definetly," I said. Kelsi looked like she was about to cry, Ryan looked pissed, and they both walked away. We walked on to another spot to put up another poster. I had this sudden crazy idea.

"Martha? We've been friends for a while," I started, "and on occasion when you're friends with someone for along time you grow feelings for this person, but sometimes you don't know if you are feeling it. So…can I…just to see…" I said. She nodded. I leaned in and closed my eyes. She smelled pretty. I pressed my lips against hers. I deepened the kiss after a few seconds, but I didn't feel anything. I broke away.

"So um…well?" I asked.

"No. I mean, it was-"

"Enjoyable."

"Definetly, but no…fireworks. I'm sorry baby," she said. I nodded.

"S'okay. At least we tried," I said. She nodded.

"It's always good to try. And if it means anything, I bet you're a better kisser than Ryan," she said smiling.

"You have no idea how that makes me feel," I said smiling. She kissed my cheek really quick.

"We're going to have fun at prom," she said. I smiled. I knew I would. Martha would make sure of it.

* * *

"GABRIELLA IS WHAT?!" I yelled.

"I told you Gabriella is leaving!" Kelsi explained for the…tenth time, I think. She didn't look frustrated though. She always knew I was a bit slower.

"Why?"

"She got accepted early into Stanford." The double-crossing hypocrite started to look a bit more than agitated.

"Do we need to use sign language?!" he yelled.

"Okay, one, last time I checked you and Kelsi were not Siamese twins which means you are not we you are her and him!" I yelled, throwing around my smartness. Bet he didn't know I knew what Siamese twins were, huh? "And two, shut-up! You didn't know we spelled out go drama team last year so don't patronize me!" I yelled, again throwing around my smartness. Although I don't think I used patronized right, but it sounded smart right there, so I used it.

"Enough you two! Look, the point is we need to work together to keep my baby from becoming a catastrophe!" Kelsi yelled. She really loves her work.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked her. He nodded. "Copycat," I muttered.

"Jason, I need you to talk to Troy. Make him feel better," she commanded. I nodded. "Ryan, you need to try and control your sister."

"Yeah, like he can do that," I laughed quietly. Ooh, he's getting pissed.

"Jason." I shut-up.

"I'll be seeing you. I have to go home." I said, walking towards my bike. "Bye Kelsi, bye you conniving son of a bi- " I put my hand over my mouth at the last second. Oh damn, he looked pi-issed.

* * *

"So walk, walk, walk, jump in, around the world, and spin out," the mother f-bomb told Troy.

"You're easier to dance with than she is!" I heard Troy complain. He-he!

"You got it Zeke?" I called. We were trying to build something to hold up the back of the set because it kept falling.

"I've got it, I've got it," he grunted. It started to fall. "I don't got it, I don't got it!" Zeke screamed.

"HEADS UP!" I yelled. It fell, narrowly missing Sharpay. Zeke looked pale as a ghost. "You okay dude?" I asked. He nodded, not very convincingly. Sharpay walked over to him.

"What happened? Did you hurt yourself Zekie-Weekie?" she asked in a baby voice.

"Zekie-Weekie?" I mouthed. She hugged him. He gave me 'the look' and pulled Sharpay closer. He looked really freaked out. Aw, he's in love! I shook my head and walked away. Walk away before I get myself punched by my best friend. Although, come one Zekie-Weekie? Honestly? That's worse than Troy Boy!

"What just happened?" Martha asked.

I was thinking of Zeke when I said: "My little boy gots hisself a girlfriend. He's growing up!"

"Not now Ryan!" Kelsi yelled.

"Kelsi, I know you!" he yelled.

"No, you don't! You know nothing about me!" she yelled. She got quieter, so I snuck downstairs.

"So we're back to him, huh?" he said.

"What's Jason got to do with anything?" Kelsi asked.

"You always bring him up! It's like you don't even care about me, only your precious Jason!" he screamed. I resisted the urge to go out and punch his face in.

"What about Martha? You always talk about her! And I see the way you look at her!" Kelsi accused. I felt someone next to me. It was Martha Cox.

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"I think you know what it means!" she said icily.

"Are you…" he took a breath, "are you accusing me of cheating?"

"If the shoe fits."

"I can't believe this!"

"I mean, I'd expect anyone else to cheat before you. Troy, Chad, Jason, Sharpay, hell, even Zeke and Taylor, but not you. But now? I don't know Ryan, I just don't know," she whispered. He shook his head and walked towards Martha Cox and me.

"_Et tu, Brute?" _I said. He stared at me.

"What?"

"You know, Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, _et tu Brute?" _I reminded him.

"I know what it meant, I just don't know what you're referring to," he snapped.

"Kelsi's right. Chad and Zeke have cheated on past girlfriends, Sharpay on one of her boyfriends, Troy and Taylor came extremely close and I'm ashamed to admit that I cheated as well. We've all hurt someone, stabbed someone in the back, except you. So…_et tu, Brute?_" I explained, smiling widely. I walked away. That was fun! Even though I have no clue waht I just said, but it sounded smartastic! That's a word, I know it is!

* * *

"Hey, Jason? Can we talk?" I heard Kelsi say over the phone.

"Um…my sister is sick and since Alex refuses to come home…could you come over here?" I asked. Stupid Alex. He's still ruining things and he's on the other side of the world!

"I'll see you in a few," she said, hanging up. I jumped up and started cleaning my room. I can't believe she's coming over! Man, my room is a freaking pigsty! I opened my door. "Hey Terry! Kelsi's coming over! Move to the living room so I can keep an eye on you!" I yelled.

"NO! I'll stay here, you talk to Kelsi!"

"Are you sure?!" I yelled.

"Go ahead! Good luck!" she yelled down then launched into a coughing fit. I love my sister.

"You're the bomb!" I yelled. I continued cleaning my room.

Ding-Dong! I ran to the door. Kelsi was standing there, looking beautiful as ever.

"Hey," she said nervously. I opened up the door more. She walked straight to my room.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"Ryan and I broke up," she said. YES!

"That sucks," I said out loud.

"Yeah. It just…didn't work out. I thought it would, but…" OH, THIS DAY JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!

"The main reason was that I kept thinking of someone else," she continued. HALLEJUHA! Wait, is she talking about me? Or is she talking about the guy who sings Break My Heart? What's his name…Nolan Gerard Funk? Is that it?

"The guy I kept thinking about was, well, you," she mumbled. I jumped up.

"HAH! It is me! Okay, for a second there, I thought it would be Nolan Gerard Funk!" I yelled. She started laughing. I sat back down on the bed and hugged her tight. She hugged me back. I looked at face. Gosh, I hadn't been this close to her in a long time.

"WE'RE PLAYING BASKETBALL. WE LOVE THAT BASKETBALL!" screamed my phone. BOGUS! CHAD RUINS EVERYTHING!!!! I ran over to the phone.

"WHAT?!" I yelled.

"Something's wrong with Troy!" Chad yelled. DAMN IT! WHY CAN'T I HAVE JUST ONE MOMENT WITH KELSI! SCREW THE WORLD!

"I'll be right there," I said grudgingly. I hung up and looked at Kelsi.

"You have to go," she said. I nodded. "I'll wait Jason. I've made you wait for me and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't do some waiting myself," she said. I smiled. I am one lucky son of a witch!

* * *

"Troy? What the hell are you doing?" I asked. He's running around his room, looking for something.

"I can't find my tie!" he screamed.

"Why the hell do you need your tie?" I asked.

"I'm going to Stanford."

"Whoa. Look, I know you like Gabriella, but your grades aren't good enough for that!" I yelled.

"I'm not applying to Stanford, I'm going to see Gabriella!" he said.

"Oh." What was I supposed to say? Supposed to do? I couldn't stop him, because I know I'd miss prom to be with Kelsi. I looked around his room. I saw the tie under his bed. "Troy-"

"Don't try and stop me!"

"Your tie is under your bed," I said. He grabbed it.

"Thanks man." We walked out of his room.

"I'll distract them," I whispered. He smiled. "Hey there Mr. and Mrs. Bolton!" I yelled.

"What's going on Jason?" Mr. Bolton asked.

"Nothing much. My sister got sick."

"Oh, that's too bad," Mrs. Bolton said. I nodded.

"Yeah, I should probably get back to her. I'll be seeing you!" I yelled, running away. I looked at Troy, getting into his truck.

"You're the man Jason!" he screamed.

"No, you!" I yelled back. He drove off. Aw…both my boys are growing up.

* * *

Review and tell me what you think. The next chapter is the last! *sob* It's been fun!


	8. I've Got My Money On Zeke

Why I Love You

Chapter 8: I've Got My Money On Zeke

Summary: Kelsi's POV. And guess what?! This is NOT the last chapter!! I'm writing one more!!!! Be happy! But I have something to talk to you about, so stay-tuned after the feature presentation.

* * *

Ah, opening night. It's not as scary as I thought it would be. I've got Jason back (after my insanity phase), Martha and me are cool, there's no awkwardness between Ryan and me, Ryan and Martha are together (finally) and…wait…where's Troy? I told him I needed to talk to him before the play. Something's going on here, and I don't like it. Does Jason know about it? Oh, crap, it's starting. Please don't let this be a train-wreck!

"It's our last chance to share the stage before we go our separate way," I sang.

"High school wasn't meant to last forever," Ryan sang with me. He smiles and winks. We're pretending to be dating for the Julliard people, since in the play, we're dating. Gosh, I wish Jason was the one singing and winking at me. But he has stage fright, which he constantly reminds me about.

Oh gosh nam it, the song's over! I hope I sounded good! On with the play.

"We'll be alright! Even if we're miles apart!" Sharpay sang, ruining my song. I held out my hands to get the orchestra to keep playing. Where's Troy? Or is Jimmy coming on? Okay now…JIMMY! WHAT THE HECK IS HE WEARING!? OH GOSH NAM IT ALL! But look! Jason is waving to me. What's he…TROY AND GABRIELLA! They're here! Sing sing sing, big dance number! This was perfect! Now for the prom scene.

Is that Tiara? Damn, girl cannot sing! What happened to Sharpay? Oh my gooseness. Total catfight right up on stage. Well, the crowd seems to love it. Oh look, Ryan pressed the trap door button. Bye-bye worthless pieces of slightly slutty trash! And now for the graduation scene. Okay, now I'm hyperventilating. Who gets the scholarship? I run up on stage and get my cap and gown on. I briefly see Jason, and smile. He smiles back. I know he's afraid he won't pass. She'll tell by calling his name or not.

"Kelsi Neilson, the Julliard Scholarship recipient!" Mrs. Darbus cried out. OMG! I did it! Martha and Gabriella reach for me. I look over at Jason and he smiled big.

"Jason Cross…" I held my breath, "you did it, you graduated!" YES! He smiled huge and jumped onto Zeke. Yay, my baby graduated! Wait, what's this? Ryan got a scholarship too?! Good for him. I looked over at Jason. He was clapping like crazy for Ry. Just checking. I clapped too. He deserved it.

Troy's turn. What's he going to do?

"I'm choosing basketball," he said. GOSH NAM IT! I WANTED HIM TO CHOOSE MUSIC! WHY?! WHY?! "But I've also chosen theatre," he said. YES! BOO-YAH! What university is he going to? Berkley!? Horky crud, that's awesome! Wait what's he saying?

"But most of all I chose the person who inspires my heart," he said. Aw, how corny! I love him! Wait, is he going to propose? Oh, no, he's just being corny. Now they're hugging.

"Mr. Chad Danforth, University of Albuquerque, basketball scholarship!" Mrs. Darbus yelled. Where's Chad? Oh my goodness, someone needs to put a leash on these stupid basketball players! Troy ran somewhere to get Chad. Mrs. Darbus goes on, introducing a few more people. Woo-pee! Who cares? Big finish, and we're done! I ran over to Jason.

"Hey there Mr. High School Graduate!" I said happily. He smiled and hugged me.

"Hey there Ms. Julliard Scholarship Winner," he said back. I kissed him quickly.

"Come on, we need to get bed," I said. He raised an eyebrow. It dawned on me what I just said.

"Oh not like that! I meant to our own beds and our own houses. You've got to practice for getting up early for graduation!" I elaborated. He nodded.

"I figured it was that, but I was hoping it was the other one…" he said suggestively. He wrapped his arms tighter around my waist.

"We're _not_ having sex yet, and I'm _not_ having this conversation with you!" I scolded him. He hung his head. "I know it's hard especially since you are a teenage guy, but keep your hormones under control!" I yelled at him.

"Easy for you to say, you didn't even start liking guys until freshman year!" he yelled back.

"SH! That was supposed to be a secret!" I told him. He smiled.

"I won't tell anyone, you know that," he said. "Although, I may have told Martha because I was upset…" he mumbled. I smacked him.

"JASON!"

"In my defense, you'd just left me for the Trait…I mean Evans," he said. I nodded. I'll let him off the hook…this time.

* * *

"Kelsi! Someone's at the door!" I heard my brother scream.

"So answer it!" I yelled back.

"You're closer!"

"I'm upstairs!"

"You're less lazy! And less valuable!" he yelled. Gee, thanks Terence!

"Dill hole!" I yelled.

"Son of a witch!" he yelled back.

"LANGUAGE, BOTH OF YOU!" my mom yelled.

"Sorry!" we both yelled. I went to answer the door.

"Jason, hey!" I exclaimed. He didn't say he was coming over.

"Kelsi!" I heard my mom scream. "It's already nine!"

"Can I crash here?" he asked. He looked so scared, so…vulnerable. What was I supposed to say?

"MOM!" I yelled. He smiled. I pulled him in. We walked into the living room where my mom was sprawled out on the couch. "Can Jason stay here for the night?" I asked. I gave her "the look" and she nodded. I brought him up to my room.

"What happened?" I asked.

"My mom came home drunk and started to pick a fight with me. Terry yelled at her and my mom slapped her. Terry's at her boyfriend's house and…I just couldn't stay there by myself," he let out in one big rush. I nodded. Whenever I thought I had problems I'd compare my life to Jason's. It didn't seem so bad anymore.

"Where was your dad?" I asked.

"Out with _her_," he said. Mr. Cross was cheating on his wife with a girl who graduated last year. Yeah, he's got a really good life (sarcasm).

"Well, you are welcome anytime. Although I'm not sure how comfortable our couch or my floor is to sleep on, but you are still welcome," I mused aloud. He laughed.

"I'll deal."

"LIGHTS OUT IN TEN!" my mom yelled. Oh yeah, I still have a bedtime.

"Couch or floor?" I asked.

"Floor."

"Okee-dokee," I grabbed some of my blankets from the closet and put them on the floor. We made his bed quickly. He'd been over so many times, it was routine now. He sat down on his "bed" and I sat down next to him.

"So…who you got your money on?" he asked. We've got bets as to which person will lose…something…graduation night. I've got my money on Zeke (I walked in on Sharpay sophomore year. Not a pretty sight). My hopes and money are riding on Sharpay, which is a scary thought. But for this, I think she'll pull through.

"Zeke."

"Funny. He's got his money on us," he told me. I laughed.

"Oh baby, you ain't getting in my pants for a long time," I laughed. I swear I saw his shoulders sag.

"That's what I told him," he mumbled. I stopped laughing and laid down, putting my head in his lap. He started brushing my hair out of my face.

"Look Jason, it's not that I don't want to have sex, it's just the way I was brought up. I love my mom but I don't want to end up like her. I want to have a life before I have a kid. I don't want to take the risk," I explained. I saw him straighten up.

"Sharpay said it was because you though I might give you some kind of disease," he told me.

"Babe, you should know by now not to listen to anything Sharpay says. I don't think you'll give me a disease, I trust you to tell me if you have AIDS or gonorrhea or anything like that. I just don't want to get pregnant," I told him. He looked a lot happier.

"LIGHTS OUT!" my mother screamed. That was so not ten minutes! I got up and laid down next to Jason. We stared at each other for a few seconds. Sometimes, all you need is silence. Just to…be. After a while I laid my head on his chest. He put his arms around me. He kissed my hair. I looked up and kissed his lips softly. He kissed me back, slowly, sweetly, then more hurried and deeper.

I realized we were really close, we were on a bed type thing, it was dark, and my mom was in her soap opera bubble, so she wouldn't be checking on us for a long time…did I really want to? Well, yeah, I did, but did I want to deal with the consequences? Or really, was I mature enough to deal with the consequences? Or better still, was Jason? I didn't think he'd leave me, but it would be hard on him, I knew that much. Real hard. While I was contemplating this, I didn't realize that one of his hands had somehow found their way up my shirt and the other in the back pocket of my pj's. One of my hands was up _his _shirt, and the other was on his face.

I knew that if I didn't stop it soon, there'd be no going back, but I wasn't sure I wanted to stop. His hand kept creeping up my back until it landed on my bra strap.

HOLD THE PHONE.

I wasn't ready. I realized this. Maybe later, but not now. I want it to be at the right moment, not when my mom is downstairs and my stupid brother is across the hall! Hells no! I pushed myself up off of him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't…we can't…no. We can't have sex." I made sure we were in no uncertain terms about that. I saw his outline nod.

"I can understand and accept that," he said. I was surprised.

"Really?"

"Really really. Look, I wasn't ready when I had sex and I don't want to force you into it. I mean, I _really want it, _and it'd be nice if it was soon,but it's your decision as to what goes on with your body," he said. I smiled. I am soooooo lucky! I laid back down on his chest. He rubbed my back. I laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"My money is still on Zeke," I said. I felt him sag again. I laughed harder.

* * *

Yippee, graduation speech. Stupid graduation getting pulled out forever and ever. Just hand me my diploma, and let's get on with the after party. I want to win my money! From all the looks that Sharpay has given Zeke when she thought no one was looking I'm _sure_ I'm going to win.

Oh look, Gabriella is talking. She got valedictorian. I'm so proud of her. Although I knew she would get it. Gabriella or Taylor, but most likely Gabriella since she got into Stanford early and all. I can't wait till the after party…wait, I was just thinking about that…whatever! I hate graduation! Oh, yay, she's done! Now…Troy. More speeches. I'm jumping for joy.

I looked over at Jason. He looked like he was ready to fall asleep. I don't think he cares about graduation seeming as he's not going to college and he just doesn't like school in general. I looked at Ryan and Martha. They weren't sitting next to each other, but they had me passing notes. I don't even want to know the gist of what's in those notes. I looked at Chad and Taylor. They were the two I was worried about the most. I had this hunch Chad would break up with her after high school, but at the same time, I'd known Chad for a long time, and Taylor was the only girl he'd ever been with that he liked for her personality and looks. He respected Taylor, which was a big step for him.

"Because once a Wildcat…always a Wildcat," Troy said. He walked off stage. Yes, diplomas! We can go home! Or to Troy's home! Anyway…everyone does this weird thingie where we get into the head of a Wildcat. I saw Troy spin Gabriella around and then run away.

Everyone kept running around and screaming and dancing. It was like we were living in a musical for a few minutes. It was AWESOME! But no matter how awesome it is, I want to go to that after party!

* * *

"If I find that the house was destroyed when I get back…" I heard Troy's mom threaten.

"We'll clean it, or better yet, we won't make a mess, okay?" Troy promised.

"Look, I don't care about the house, but if any of my or your mother's trophies are hurt…" Mr. Bolton threatened. Troy shook his head and walked away from his parents. I heard them get into the car and drive away.

"They're gone!" he yelled. Everyone got really loud in two seconds. I ran around to find Jason. Where was he?

"Kelsi!" Ryan yelled.

"What's up?" I asked. I pushed my way to him.

"Have you seen Martha?" he asked. I nodded my head. He looked sad. I looked at his hand. It looked like he was holding a…uh-uh. I'm not losing fifty dollars to TroyBoy. I pointed him in the opposite direction of Martha. That'll hold them off for a while.

"Kelsi!" I heard someone else yell. I turned around. There he was. He was wearing loose dark jeans, with a button up shirt (a white tee under it) unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up. Gosh, he looked good. I walked over. He wrapped me in his arms. He smelled pretty. Sorry, random.

"I love you Kels," he whispered. He kissed my head.

"I love you too," I said. I felt him smile. "And by the way?" I said.

"What?"

"I still have my money on Zeke," I said. His smile disappeared. I laughed again.

* * *

Note: So I was thinking of adding extra chapters or putting up a new story. For those of you who have read Dear Mrs. Darbus, you know the basics of what happened to Kelsi and Jason. But if you want me to (and only if you want me to) I will write about their lives after East High. So, college, kids, marriage, Parkinson's disease, everything from Dear Mrs. Darbus. Tell me what you think when you _**REVIEW**_ my story (hint hint).


	9. Your FirstOr SecondSecond Girl

Why I Love You  
That's How It Is With Your First...Or Second...Second Girl...

Summary: Last chapter. My own scene. Graduation Night Party. Jason's POV. I've got three words for you: no adult supervision. It's going to be an eventful night. This chapter is more…suggested than the others...well, not just suggested...nothing graphic, but fair warning for those of you youngsters (although if you read my profile, I could possibly be a youngster…).

Sorry it took so long. I had writer's block for this story. Sorry...again...

With no further ado, I bring you the last chapter in Why I Love You:

* * *

_**EARLIER THAT DAY**_

"PEOPLE! I can't find my graduation cap! Where the hell is it?" I screamed throughout my house. My brother was home for the weekend, my dad was sober for once, and my sister and father weren't picking fights with each other.

I just wish my mother (Julie) would stop raining on my parade.

"Well if you had put it with your other clothes like _I told you_…" Julie muttered.

"Mother? Shut-up!" Terry yelled. Well, she has to pick a fight with someone!

"Now you see here missy!" Julie started.

"How 'bout both of you shut the hell up!?" Alex yelled at them. Terry moved to the opposite side of the room. Julie glared at the wall.

"I did put it by my clothes. Did someone go through my stuff?" I asked.

"I was looking for my smokes, sorry," my father said. Typical dad.

"Why would your smokes be in my clothes?" I asked.

"Cause that's where I put them," he said. I'm not even going to ask.

"Great. Just great. What am I going to do? We have to be there in half an hour and I can't find my graduation cap! I'm not going to graduate!" I yelled, panicking.

"I've got an idea!" Alex yelled. He ran to his old room. I heard moans, groans, swearing, a "Hey! I've been looking for that for years!" and then Alex came out holding his old East High baseball cap. "It's red and it's showing support for your school! It's perfecto!" Alex yelled. I grabbed it from him and inspected it. Well…it would have to work.

"Let's go!" I yelled, running to the car.

**_GRADUATION PARTY_**

Okay, yeah, I'll admit it: I kinda wanna have sex with Kelsi. But I'm not going to push her. But I wanna. Most people say it's going to be either Kels or Zeke losing their innocence (the "v word" is a taboo in my house. We call it innocence). I hope it's the former of those two choices, but you never know. Like I said, I'm not going to push her past her comfort zone, but I'm certainly not going to stall anything. Back to the future – I mean, present:

"Are you hungry?" I asked Kelsi.

"Starving, as usual," she laughed. I kissed her and went over to the snack bar. I got two plates and filled them with chips, cupcakes, cake, brownies, and other miscellaneous garbage.

"Jason?" Gabriella asked. I looked at her. "Whom did you bet on?"

"You." She blushed. And me and Kelsi.

"What about some of the other bets?" she asked.

"Well the one about who will have the worst hangover is Chad: I've seen him drunk before, and it's not pretty. The one about who will get drunk and go up and sing? That one would be me," I rattled off. She laughed. I went on. "Most likely to break up tonight would be either Chad and Taylor or Hannah and Tyler," I said.

"Why Hannah and Tyler?"

"Because I've seen how he reacts whenever she says that it's unfair there isn't a girl's basketball team. He's a sick, chauvinistic pig and she's better off without him," I told her. Gabriella nodded. "Most likely to be the reason someone calls the cops would definitely be Chad," I said.

"I agree with you wholeheartedly there," she said, smiling.

"I have to go, Kelsi is waiting for me," I told her. She walked off. I ran over to Kelsi. I handed her a plate and she dug in. We found some seats and started pigging out. She looked up.

"I love this song," she said. I listened to the music. I knew this song. Light bulb went off.

"This is Decode by Paramore," I said. She smiled.

"Paramore is my favorite band," she told me.

"I know Kelsi. I told you I remember almost everything you tell me!" I reminded her.

"Dance with me!" she yelled out of nowhere. She pulled me up off my seat and pulled me to the dance area. She put her arms around me neck and I wrapped mine around her waist. We were so close but she scooted closer. We were touching now. Swaying…swaying…I felt so jumpy. I know it sounds corny, but I'd never felt this way about a girl before. Or a guy, for that matter.

I pulled her even closer. My brother always used to tell me that when you found the right one, there'd be an electrical attraction. I don't even think electrical is the right word. This was…amazing. Just being next to her made me feel good. I wondered if she felt the same way.

The song came to an end. She looked up from my shoulder. I love her eyes. They're so pretty. But she's wearing a gosh darn hat! I reached up to take it off so I could see her eyes. We were just staring. I don't know what the song was. We were the only ones there, just us, swaying to the music, me losing myself in her eyes…her beautiful eyes…

"Hey there J.J.!" a really annoying, rude, high-pitched voice yelled. It was of course, Sharpay. She put $200 on her and Zeke, and she doesn't want to lose that money.

"Hey Sharpay," Kelsi mumbled. Stupid Sharpay.

"Don't call me J.J." I told her. She smiled coldly and bounced off, her stupid, blonde hair bouncing up and down. She thinks she's so hot and cool…well, she's not!!!!!

"We're not going to get any privacy," Kelsi groaned.

"We could sneak into one of the thousands of rooms in Troy's house," I suggested. She smiled. I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the house. I opened the first guest bedroom.

"HEY!" I heard someone yell. It was Ryan and…ew, Martha with no shirt! I backed out quickly. I got an idea since neither Kelsi or I had bet on those two. "Troy's coming to check all the rooms. You better cover up!" I said. I heard them scramble around. That should buy Zeke or Gabriella some time. Or…us. I went to the next room, but this time I knocked.

"It's occupied!" Hannah's voice rang out.

"Are you in there with…"

"None of your beeswax Jason Cross!" Hannah yelled. That means no. We moved on. I heard strange noises coming from the one room. Kelsi giggled and we ran past quickly. We finally got to the last room that wasn't Troy's. Thank goodness it was empty. We went in and I locked the door. Kelsi sat down on the bed. She looked different. Like…nervous? I'd never seen her nervous before. Not even before a show. It kinda freaked me out, actually. I sat down next to her.

That was probably one of the most awkward moments of my entire life. For a few minutes we were just sitting there, staring at each other. I felt like asking how the weather was like, or how 'bout those Yankees? I realized then that she had an eyelash on her cheek. I plucked it off.

"Make a wish," I said. She blew the eyelash away. I realized I had slid closer to her. I leaned forward to kiss her. She smelled nice. Wait, is that normal to be thinking before you are possibly about to have…you know (also a taboo word in my house)…with your girlfriend? I'm not sure. I kissed her anyway. Okay, I could do this. I could –

"Jason!" a voice yelled. I jumped up from the bed. It sounded like…but she wouldn't…would she?

"Jason!" the voice yelled again. I unlocked the door and yanked it open. It was. What was _she _doing here?! "Jason, what are you doing here?!" she yelled.

"I'm here for the graduation party!" I yelled back.

"No, what are you doing here with that…that…_skank_?!" she clarified, gesturing at Kelsi. My blood boiled. Nobody insults Kelsi and gets away with it, not even my own mother.

"Shut-up mother! Don't you ever say something like that about her ever again do you hear me!?" I yelled, my voice solid. She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm your mother, and you will not raise your voice to me," she said.

"You're not my mother. You don't care about me. Now get out or I'm going to get Troy to call the cops," I said icily. She laughed.

"You wouldn't," she said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because of this," she said. She slapped me, hard. I reeled back. I put my hand on my face. Gosh, it hurt. My cheek stung so badly. I felt warm arms encircle me.

"I'll get rid of her," Kelsi whispered. No! I thought. She'll kill you. Julie's a freakin' monster!

"What do you want?" Julie trilled.

"I want you to get out," Kelsi said. She sounded pissed.

"Why?"

"Because of this," she said. I heard something that sounded like a slap. Did Julie just slap Kelsi?

"You brat!" Julie yelled. OMG, Kelsi slapped Julie!!

"Get out of here right now or so help me…" Kelsi warned. I heard the door slam. "Are you okay?" Kels asked. I stood up and looked at her.

"How did you…no one has ever stood up to my mom before!" I said.

"She hurt you. I had to do something," she said. Something made me nervous though.

"Why do you love me?" I asked her. She looked at me curiously. "I mean, I'm not going to college, I've got stage fright so bad that I don't play basketball as good as I could, my family is a wreck and I know what people say about me sleeping around when they think I'm not listening. Why do you love me?" I asked again. She sat down on the bed.

"Why do I love you…I love you because I know you try hard in school, even if you just barely passed. I think your stage fright is incredibly cute and I don't believe a single one of those rumors about you sleeping around. As for your family…" she said. She motioned for me to sit on the bed. I sat down. "I'm not dating your family, now am I?" she asked.

"But why?" I pressed.

"Because I hid behind my hats. I was afraid to look someone in the eyes and you took my hat off. Because whenever we fight, you still ask me if I've written any new songs. Because you come over at 3 o'clock in the morning, when I have an inspiration. Because…because…because you're so damn insecure and you're not afraid to let someone else take the spotlight for a while. That's why I love you," she said. I put my head on her shoulder.

"Ditto," I said simply. How the hell am I supposed to top what she just said?! Kelsi laughed. I looked up at her. She put her hand under my chin and lifted my head to her face. We kissed. It was slow at first then got quicker.

When I felt her skin, I realized I had apparently taken the clothes on the upper part of her body off. We were doing stuff that we did before, but faster. Then, we got to the point where we hadn't dared to go any farther. The rest of the world melted away, it was just Kelsi and I, just the two of us, here together.

Okay, that sounded ridiculously corny, but, you get my point. I thought about why I loved Kelsi. Well…she was sweet, I love her eyes, she's one of the only people that don't make fun of me when I say something that people think is "inappropriate," and she didn't make fun of me when she found out about my stage fright. There were some other reasons, but at that moment I stopped thinking about them because I just realized I forgot to bring any type of protection against pregnancy. Shit. Stupid Jason, Alex always told me to keep a condom with me wherever I went, and for once, I should have listened, but I didn't! Stupid Jason! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! What are we going to do?

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I don't have a condom, and I'm guessing you didn't happen to take a pregnancy pill this morning, did you?" I asked her. She groaned.

"If we go and get one, I'm going to lose my nerve," she muttered. Well, this was a problem…

"KELSI!" a voice yelled. Damn it! This was just not working for me. Kelsi jumped up and threw my shirt on. There stood Taylor, looking very pissed off, holding what looked to be like a basketball. It looked like Chad's basketball.

"What's wrong?"

"Chad dumped me, so I stole his favorite basketball," Taylor said.

"YES!!" I screamed. Taylor threw the basketball at me. "OH! Look, I just won $200, so back off lady!" I said. She rolled her eyes.

"Look, the point is, Chad had a condom with him, don't ask me why, so I stole it so he wouldn't be able to have sex with anyone else. Do you guys want it?" she asked. Kelsi looked at me. I nodded. Kelsi took it and closed the door.

I just kinda looked at her. I was nervous. I liked to pretend that my first sexual encounter didn't ever happen. So, in my mind, I'd never had sex before. Kelsi hadn't had sex, period. She's not even denying something, like I am. She sat in my lap.

"I'm gonna ask one more time," I whispered into her ear. Just in case. Although I'd cry if she said no I'd cry. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

I loved her, she knew that, I knew that.

And then, we were together. Together in a way that we didn't think was possible.

* * *

"Hey, you guys? It's one! Kelsi's mom wants her home by 1:30!" a voice – Gabriella? – said through the door.

"Alright!" I called. I looked at Kelsi. She smiled at me. I kissed her nose.

"We should get going. You know how my mom is about being on time," she said. I nodded. Damn her stupid mother and punctualness.

* * *

"You seem unusually happy for someone whose mother just slapped him," Terry observed. I flopped onto the couch. "Oh my goodness!" she squealed. I looked at her. "Oh my…you…JASON!" she yelled. She sat on my stomach.

"OW!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to have sex with Kelsi!?" she demanded.

"Okay, 1.) How do you know I had sex with her? 2.) It wasn't really planned and 3.) Why would I tell you?" I asked her.

"I know these things Jason. And you'd tell me because I'm your sister and you love me," she said. I just shook my head. "So, how was it?" she sang.

I didn't say anything for a while. I just smiled. Kelsi and were together, in every sense of the word. "It was…"

"WELL!? Come on, you can't kiss and not tell!" she yelled.

"It was…unbelievable," was what I said. I looked at her.

"No words, right? Can't find a word good enough?" she asked. I nodded. "That's how it always is for your first," she said, "or, second…well…second girl."

"No. That wasn't the only reason. This was different because…"

"Aw. You love her," Terry cooed. I smiled.

For the first time in my life, I was in love. Really honestly in love.

It felt good and I never wanted to let that feeling go.

* * *

So what do you think?! Was it a good ending? If ALL of you thought it was crappy, I'll write something else. If you're just saying that because you want me to write more, then just say you want me to write more. I'll write another story, about their later life...eventually. I'm going to finish my other stories first.


End file.
